RNA polymerase of HeLa cells

Ribonucleic acid polymerase activities in Jerusalem artichoke tissue

1. Artichoke tuber tissue contained RNA polymerase activity bound to the chromatin and in the supernatant after chromatin sedimentation. 2. The activity in the supernatant, the soluble polymerase, was fractionated into polymerases I and II by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, and the properties of each activity were determined. 3. The proportions of chromatin-bound and soluble activities varied with growth of the tissue, and there was a correlation between chromatin-bound activity and RNA accumulation. 4. The properties of the solubilized chromatin activity were compared with those of the soluble activity, and the relationship between these two activities is discussed.

Simian virus 40 deoxyribonucleic acid transcription in vitro: binding and transcription patterns with a mammalian ribonucleic acid polymerase

The in vitro transcription pattern of simian virus 40 (SV40) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by a mammalian ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase, was studied by electron microscopy and velocity sedimentation techniques. It was found that (i) the majority of supercoiled SV40 DNA molecules displayed a single binding site for the enzyme, (ii) the supercoiled structure of SV40 DNA was frequently retained during transcription, and (iii) the majority of RNA molecules synthesized from the supercoiled SV40 DNA template showed no self-complementarity and sedimented relatively homogeneously in the 15S to 16S region of a sucrose gradient (in contrast, the RNA product synthesized from the nicked-circular SV40 DNA template showed self-complementarity and sedimented heterogeneously). RNA polymerase preparations isolated from SV40-infected monkey cells were more active than those isolated from uninfected monkey cells.

Solubilized DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from human placenta: A Mn(2+)-dependent enzyme

The 100-fold purified RNA polymerase activity from human placenta is completely dependent upon added DNA. The enzyme is most active at 3 mM Mn(2+) in the presence of 100 mM (NH(4))(2)SO(4). Denatured DNA is a better template than native DNA. alpha-Amanitin completely inhibits the incorporation of 3H-UMP, while rifampicin has no influence upon the enzymatic activity.